A healthy and functioning civil society is vital for human rights and democracy everywhere. Civil society organizations (CSOs) play a crucial role in realizing the rights protected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They educate individuals about their rights; document human rights abuses; monitor the behavior of governments, including police and security forces; and advocate for the rule of law. CSOs also contribute to development, provide disaster relief, and deliver humanitarian aid in war zones.

But in recent years, civil society has been under threat. The legal “space” in which civil society is permitted to operate is being systematically “closed.” More and more countries are passing restrictive laws that hamper civil society organizations by limiting or even criminalizing the receipt of foreign funding, imposing onerous administrative requirements, or defaming CSOs as terrorists or foreign agents. Even worse, advocates for human rights and political reform face torture, disappearance, and assassination. These repressive policies are no longer confined to authoritarian states or countries in transition, but are occurring in established democracies, including in close U.S. allies like India, Egypt, Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic.

Presenters:

Maina Kiai, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association

Vanessa Tucker, Vice President for Analysis, Freedom House

Margaret Huang, Executive Director, Amnesty International USA

Douglas Rutzen, President & CEO, International Center for Not-for-Profit Law